Reviews

Awesome, captivating book - don't pass it by !! I don't know where to start or what to say except maybe.... it is mind blowing! compelling and exciting! It keeps you going until the end. You are gasping for breath, dizzy, and in so deep you feel like you can't put this book down. This book was twisted, raw and at some points scary, it went back and forth between present day, (Amber in a coma) to a week prior, the build up to Amber being in a coma, and 1992, a series of diaries. The twists and turns this book takes was so entertaining and spooky, I found myself speeding up the reading just to see what happened next! Pages were flying I was dead to the world, It kept me guessing, and thinking and guessing the entire time: gasp! Breathe..... I loved every second! Wow! This has got to be a movie...

lani

Ride of a lifetime

Phew! What a glorious fireworks explosion of twists and turns right up to the very last page. What a brilliant psychological turn of the corkscrew leaving me to think I had the plot all figured out when I couldn’t have been More. Wrong. Feeney has created such a complex storyline that will leave your jaw dropping to the floor. Seriously, I have read other great suspense novels but none so deceiving and rich in structure.The novel begins with Amber in the hospital stating three truths: "1. My name is Amber Reynolds. 2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore 3. Sometimes I lie.” And from there the race is on. Just don’t forget to tie up your shoelaces.

Vicki O. (Boston, MA)

An Amazing Debut

The book didn't grab me from page 1, but Amber, the main character, intrigued me and the superb writing style kept me going. I'm certainly glad I did. "Sometimes I Lie" turned out to be a masterful thriller with a brilliant narrative that goes back and forth in time very effectively. The author leads the reader bit by bit, clue by clue to an ending that will leave you gasping. I can't wait for the author's next novel.

Susan B. (Hahira, GA)

When is a lie not a lie

Told in the first person, this intriguing first novel enters the realm of the psychological mystery so well done by B.A Paris and Gillian Flynn.

All we know is that our narrator is in a coma, the how and why are never quite clear. Her few moments of lucidity are centered in the past of childhood and the recent present. we hear the same snippets of conversation that her semi-conscious mind hears but We still know no more or less than she herself is willing to relinquish.

This is an intriguing read that will holds the reader spellbound up until the very last page. To say more would give too much away and ruin the experience.

Darcy C. (San Diego, CA)

Bravo!

Sometimes I Lie grabbed me and never let go. Like a kid in a candy shop -- I wanted this book to last forever. This was one of those that you think about when you were at work, when commuting or doing anything other than reading. I simply love the feeling when a book has utterly kidnapped my attention!

I was captivated by the descriptions, such as when Amber Reynolds is trying to separate her dreams from her alleged reality, "I can smell my lost time." How great is that sentence?! Another example where I know the feeling too well is when she describes an uncomfortable atmosphere, "...the air in the room is thick with silence and remorse." This sentence transported me inside that room!

I believe the author successfully carries the voice of the unreliable narrator throughout the book. My attention did not wander and I did not have to suspend any belief to be completely wrapped up in the world of Amber Reynolds and the story she is telling us. The ending was satisfying and also left me hoping for another book by Alice Feeney. The ending can stand on its own, yet seems to hint that this story would be continued in a second novel. It is one of my true joys when a book captivates me and I think about it incessantly. I feel fortunate and grateful to BookBrowse for giving us readers the experience of being being able to read a book months before it is published. I am giving this book a rousing round of applause and yelling Bravo!

Katherine D. (Rochester, NY)

Sometimes I Lie

As the story begins we experience the world as felt by a woman, currently comatose after an accident which she cannot remember. She does remember three things about herself. My name is Amber Reynolds. I am 35 years old. I'm married to Paul. I was directly transported to her world as she is able to understand it given only what she is able to sense from her physical space in a hospital bed.

The story flashes back and forth from the present (Boxing Day) with Amber at age 35, to the weeks just before the accident, and then reflects back to when she was ten years old. This time sequence keeps repeating as the author subtly builds her characters. Any attempt to reduce this book to a plot synopsis would be a mistake. The risk of losing critical pieces of the puzzle would be great.

This very subtle psychological tale keeps harking back to the "Sometimes I Lie" of the title. When, exactly, do we know when she is "lying" apart from the time when she is literally lying in the hospital bed?

I was hooked by page 3, and I had already flipped to the front of the book to see what else the author had written. There were none listed, but I will keep Alice Feeney's name in mind as I wait for her future books.

Carol F. (Lake Linden, MI)

Sometimes You Have to Read it Again

Don't assume anything when reading this book! If you think you have an inkling of the plot just keep reading because what you assume will be turned upside down. The newest twist will be replaced by an more astonishing twist until you don't know what or who to believe. I found myself paging backwards to reread sections to see if I had missed some clue but honestly the author writes so well that there are no clues to miss. You are on your own.

Kathy G. (Danville, CA)

Sometimes I Lie

My first comment would be to slow down and savor the twists and turns. I read it way too fast and now I am happy to say, "I am going to read it again". Sometimes I Lie is a well written page turner/thriller that will appeal to book groups as well as many ages. I am so impressed that this is the author's fist book. It is one of the best I have ever read!

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